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a small box of each: %", 1", and 1Î4" wire brads (small heads), and a box of each of the same size wire nails (flat heads), plus a pound box of six penny Tools You Need finishing nails. If you need shorter nails, you can cut for Repair Jobs the pointed end off the %" brad or nail with a pair of nippers, side cutting pliers or a hack saw. A nail with the head cut off makes a YrXATCH YOUR HOUSEHOLD repair low cost workable bit for use in and maintenance tools with your ability, either a hand drill or an . interest, budget, and tool storage area. It works well for in plaster or Keep your most used tools, a common drilling pilot nail holes in wood to pre- 3/16th inch flat slot screwdriver and a vent wood splitting and nail bending. 7 inch slip joint pliers, in a convenient For pilot holes in wood, use a nail bit place. slightly smaller in diameter than the nail to be driven, or else drill a shallow hole so the tip of the nail will be se- curely anchored in the wood. A light duty M" electric drill, on a sale special, can be purchased for just a little more than a good quality hand drill. Before buying, examine to see that the will close tight enough so it Keep less frequently used tools in the will hold a %" headless vdre brad as a work and storage area. A basement or . garage, or one of your closets, might The }i" electric drill with a five to serve as a'tool center. seven piece set of high speed steel drill After the screwdriver and pliers al- bits will drill holes in metal up to )i" in ready mentioned, your next most fre- diameter. The lower priced carbon-steel quently needed tools will probably are recommended for use in wood include additional screwdrivers, sheet only. metal screws, a hammer, nails, a stone Wood bits with M" shanks are or file for , a drill, available in sets of five to six pieces up , level, a toilet and drain plunger, to 1" in diameter. Larger sizes are also faucet repair tools, painting supplies, available. Use the large bits carefully to and glazing or window glass replace- avoid stripping gears in the light duty ment equipment. driU. Two flat slot screwdrivers, one with An extension cord may be desirable a %." blade, the other with a 5/16" for use with the electric drill. It should blade, and a #1 (small) and a #2 (medium) Phillips head screwdriver, round out a set of screwdrivers that will meet most household needs. Select a good quahty 12 or 13 ounce, curved claw hammer. Good quality hammers have thinner and stronger claws than the bargain bin version. Now for a good nail collection. Get

AUTHOR Glenn Barquest is an Extension Agricultural Engineer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison.

202 be at least #16 gauge wire (#14 is larger than #16). If you purchased a drill with an insulated housing and a two prong connector, a two wire cord will be satisfactory. If the drill has a three wire electric connector, a three wire grounding type cord is needed for protection from electrical shock. A IÎ2" by 9" general purpose flat tapered sharpening stone, or 6" to 8" mill file, can be used to sharpen house- hold knives and as well as lawn and garden tools. A 6" to 12" level is desirable for trip by the plumber. The "snake" should occasional use in leveling appHances have a handle to provide rotary motion. and pictures. You may purchase the The screwdrivers mentioned earlier level as an item, or purchase a steel will meet the needs for faucet washer with a level as part replacement, but a 10" or larger adjust- of the head or handle. If you purchase able open end wrench is needed for the them separately, a 6" to 12" level and faucet nuts. Mechanics pliers or arc an 8" by 12" steel utility square make joint pliers may serve as a substitute, a good pair. but the jaws may mar the finish on the A push-pull type steel tape, or a fold- faucet nuts unless they are taped or ing rule, is a convenience for additional wrapped with cloth. measuring. A yardstick or tape measure If you plan to do interior painting may be used as a substitute. However, and varnishing, you need equipment the tape measure may be inaccurate. for both latex (water-base) and oil-base materials. A 5' or 6' stepladder is needed for wall and ceiling painting. For wall or ceiling painting with latex paint, it's desirable to have a 7" roUer and tray set, and a nylon bristle brush 1" to 2" wide to get into the comers. A plastic cloth to cover the floor is convenient, but you can use old newspapers instead. Some people are In most homes a toilet and drain rub- enthusiastic about the 4" x 6" foam ber plunger, or force cup, is a necessity. brush pads instead of the roller and The lower cost bell shaped plunger is others are disappointed with their use. workable but the more expensive hornet I prefer the roller and brush, but you nest shaped 2-way plunger is more ef- have to decide for yourself. fective, especially in toilets. A nylon bristle brush works best for Most people force the handle of both applying latex enamel. However, a types of plungers down too far so the roller with a short nap cover may be rubber doubles back on itself. Try push- desirable for large areas such as the ing the handle down about one inch, ceiling, because the latex enamel dries then pulling it back up in rhythmic so fast it is difíicult to keep the lap strokes to get the water surging back joints wet when using the slower brush and forth. The extended bottom of the method. 2-way plunger can be tucked in at the High quality animal bristle brushes bottom for use in sinks. are best for applying oil-base enamel, A flexible coiled spring steel "snake" varnish, and varnish-like finishes, but —called a closet or drain and trap high quality nylon bristle brushes will auger—will receive less use than the work. plunger, but it may save an expensive Plaster patching compounds are

203 available at paint and hardware stores long with 10 to 12 teeth points per inch for holes and small cracks, A crack re- is ideal, but a 26" saw with 8 to 10 pair kit consisting of a roll of fiberglass points is satisfactory. For more accurate cloth netting about 4" wide and a cuts, clamp another piece of lumber as binder or adhesive is available for re- a guide block along the pencil mark and pairing wide plaster cracks. A putty rub the side of the saw against the guide is desirable for applying the while sawing. patching compound and a special wide Avoid a low cost wooden miter box, applicator is needed for the fiberglass unless the saw guide notches are nar- material. row. Most of them are made with The putty knife is needed if you re- notches /s" wide or wider. The wide place glass in a wooden sash. Glazier notch allows the saw to wobble, which points with a driver and hammer, and results in poor cuts. putty and glazing compounds are other needs. To protect yourself from cuts, wear gloves when handling and remov- ing broken glass. A glass cutter is required for cutting glass, but it may be better to have the cutting done at a store. Placing glass in aluminum sash is a special process. Have it done in a shop or store where special equipment is available. Lubrication materials, tape, glue, , hex wrenches, locking plier- wrench, c-clamps, wood screws, wood- working and metal working tools are next on the list. A can of light machine or household oil is suitable for lubricating electric A flat multi-blade wood tool motors, door hinges, etc. A tube of dry can be used in place of a wood graphite lubricating powder or dry for smoothing and removing small white lubricating powder is ideal for amounts of wood. The wood forming lubricating door latches and locks. tool has a replaceable blade, which Some masking tape, black cloth fric- eliminates the task of plane iron or tion tape and black electrician s plastic blade sharpening. The tool is available tape, as well as white polyvinyl glue, with either a plane type or file type will receive monthly use in most family handle. Wood forming tools are also situations. The white glue is not water- available in round, half-round and other proof, so resorcinol or epoxy adhesive special shapes. should be used on items which will get Use sandpaper for final smoothing. wet or be used outdoors. Garnet or aluminum oxide is the best as You will need screws, saws, sand- it is sharper, and will cut faster than paper, and wood smoothing or forming the cheaper flintpaper. FHntpaper works tools if you plan to build or repair items most satisfactorily on soft wood. made from wood. An assortment of flat If you do much work with wood, get head and round head woodscrews is a set of four or five wood desirable. A ñve to six piece set of ranging from M" to 1" in width. A 2^' woodscrew pilot hole bits for drilling x 5" or larger combination sharpening pilot holes and countersinking is a real stone is needed to keep them sharp. convenience. If such a set is not avail- A hacksaw, /s" x 4" center punch, a able, twist drills and a countersink bit small pin punch or lineup punch, and can be used instead. a set of box or open end wrenches com- A cross cut hand saw, 20" to 22" plete the list.

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